?? THE 2018 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Round 2. 6th-8th April.
978th F1 Grand Prix | 14th Bahrain Grand Prix | 14th Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit
2017 POLESITTER: VALTTERI BOTTAS | 2017 WINNER: SEBASTIAN VETTEL
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday 6th April
Free Practice 1 (2pm Local Time/ 12pm UK Time)
Free Practice 2 (6pm Local Time/ 4pm UK Time)
Saturday 7th April
Free Practice 3 (3pm Local Time/ 1pm UK Time)
Qualifying (6pm Local Time/ 4pm UK Time)
Sunday 8th April
The 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix (6:10pm Local Time/ 4:10pm UK Time)
Stats and Facts
- This weekend marks Sebastian Vettel’s 200th Grand Prix start.
- There’s a low win from pole ratio here, with the race being won from pole on only five occasions in thirteen races.
- No one has won the Bahrain Grand Prix from further back from fourth on the grid.
- Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have the most wins here, with three each. Lewis Hamilton has two. No other current driver has won the Bahrain Grand Prix.
- The most number of poles here for any driver is two. Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel each have two poles here. Hamilton or Vettel could move clear to three poles to claim the outright record, or Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas could join them on two poles this weekend.
- Kimi Raikkonen has the most podiums here, with eight, but has never won a Bahrain Grand Prix.
- The last non-Mercedes pole at this track was in 2012, when Sebastian Vettel took pole for Red Bull.
- Ferrari have the most wins here, with five. Mercedes have three, while Red Bull and Renault each have two Bahrain victories.
- A different driver has won the Bahrain Grand Prix in each of the last three seasons. The longest run of different winners at the Bahrain International Circuit is four, between 2008 and 2012.
Find more track facts in the Ultimate Guide to the Bahrain International Circuit!
Press Conference Schedules
The Drivers’ Press Conference will take place on Thursday 5th April. The press conference will be split into two parts, with three drivers appearing in the first part, and a further three in the second part. The drivers appearing in front of the media will be:
| Fernando Alonso (McLaren) |
| Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) |
| Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) |
The Team Principals’ Press Conference will take place shortly after Free Practice 2. Appearing in front of the media will be:
| Zak Brown (McLaren) |
| Guenther Steiner (Haas) |
| Claire Williams (Williams) |
Driver Steward
Each weekend a former Formula One driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward for the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix is Danny Sullivan.
Weather Forecast
The weather forecast for the week ahead at the Bahrain International Circuit currently looks like this:
Fastest Ever Lap
1:28.769
The fastest ever lap of the circuit was set by Valtteri Bottas in 2017. Will it be beaten over the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend?
Tyre Choices
Pirelli will supply Medium, Soft and Super Soft tyres for the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Here are aach driver’s choice of tyre for the event:
2017 Fastest Lap in each Session
The table below shows the fastest lap set in each session of the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix weekend:
| Free Practice 1 | 1:32.697 (Sebastian Vettel) |
| Free Practice 2 | 1:31.310 (Sebastian Vettel) |
| Free Practice 3 | 1;32.194 (Max Verstappen) |
| Qualifying | 1:28.769 (Valtteri Bottas) |
| Grand Prix | 1:32.798 (Lewis Hamilton) |